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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758854">Steady</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelfenundWehren/pseuds/HelfenundWehren'>HelfenundWehren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Up, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Date night bitches, Drabble, Ed is of age, F/M, Just a nice restaurant, M/M, No Alchemy, Nothing to see here, Roy is middle aged, Stood Up, it's fine, vague idea of where they are</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:21:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelfenundWehren/pseuds/HelfenundWehren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Found an old tumblr promt and went with it.</p><p>Basically, Roy is stood up and Riza saves the day.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Edward Elric/Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Steady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waiting, it was something Roy was good at doing. He had plenty of patience, he had to as a military history professor. Some of his students were just not the brightest bulbs on the strand and had to be led to water. Sometimes he wondered if this was all that was left for him after leaving the military. </p><p>He was in his 40s now, starting to grey on the edges, but his mixed heritage kept him looking young. His friends teased him for the greying. The more self concious part of him had wanted to color over the greys. Until he’d been put on a stupid dating app by his best friend and some cute younger guy told him it looked good. </p><p>“Ed E.” was the name of this person. He looked fascinating if he wasn’t wearing colored contacts. Blond hair, tan skin, golden eyes. Honestly, he looked sort of familiar. The app said he was 25 miles away and a professor. Looked young to be one, but maybe he was blessed with good genetics as well. So Roy talked with him for a while before they met up. Then Roy inquired about his last name. “Elric, Ed Elric” he said and then Rpy realized how he knew him. Edward Elric, genius chemist who earned his PhD at 22 and had changed the entire world of chemistry when he found a new combustible element.</p><p>Of course, the age gap had worried Roy but Edward had simply said “who cares? We’re adults, aren’t we?” and that had been that.</p><p>For eight months now they’d been dating. The spent time in each other’s cities and made time around their busy schedules to meet up on the weekends.<br/>
This was one of those weekends a few days before Edward- no, Ed, it was always Ed- was to leave for a conference out of country. Roy wanted to make it special. He got them reservations at a good restaurant, made it later in the evening so Ed could work during the day, and then they could retire back to Roy’s to read and discuss whatever was on their minds today.</p><p>Except the reservation had been for a half hour ago and Ed hadn’t shown up yet.</p><p>The waiter had come twice to ask if he was ready to order and he said he date was on their way, just a few more minutes please. But he knew the waiter was sure Ed wasn’t going to show.</p><p>Roy sighed after it hit the 40 minute mark, ready to leave when someone sat across from him.</p><p>“Babe! I’m so sorry! Traffic was horrible!” A woman exclaimed. She too was blonde and had slate eyes. She was pretty, probably close to his age, wearing a nice red dress. Was she here on a date as well?</p><p>“Hey, I’m Riza. Whoever stood you up doesn’t deserve you. You look like a catch.” She said softly. It was just loud enough for him to hear. He appreciated that.</p><p>“I’m Roy. My boyfriend can be spacy at times-”</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t mean to assume-”</p><p>“I like girls too, you’re fine. Please, you seem like you’ll be good company and this is my treat, so please, order what you would like.”</p><p>“You sure about that, Roy? What if I order a bloody steak?”</p><p>“Then I would say you’re exactly my type. What were you doing here originally?”</p><p>“My friend’s invited me to join in their promotion celebration. They don’t mind that I’m here. We all felt bad for you.” Of course they had. At least someone had saved him. He’d never been stood up before but he was wondering if it was stood up or just a plain got so busy Ed lost track of time thing.</p><p>“Well thank you for saving me, you came at the right time.” As he said that, like magic, the waiter came for their orders. True to her word, Riza ordered a steak, rare, with broccoli and potatoes. Roy had to chuckle at that, that’s exactly what Ed would have ordered. But instead of the wine that his new date ordered, it would have been a water and a beer. Damn, did he just attract certain people? He ordered a pasta dinner and a wine to go with it and that was that.</p><p>“So, now that we have some time to get to know one another, what do you do for work?” He asked, interested to hear the answer. She exuded confidence and a side of danger. Very much the air of someone who had been in the military, maybe special ops.</p><p>“Oh, I head a security firm here in the city. Mostly larger clientel that like to remain safe and quiet.”</p><p>“Hmm, I see. Forgive me for assuming, but you were in the military, weren’t you?”</p><p>“Is it that easy to tell? I only retired five years ago. How long have you been out?”</p><p>“Six years. I’m a professor at the university here in the city, teaching what I know best: military history.”</p><p>“Really? That sounds interesting.”</p><p>“It is at times. Other times I get students who think they know best because their great great grandparent served in war and told stories. It can be trying. I’m sure you understand trying.”</p><p>Riza gave a small smile and a nod. “I certainly do. They like to think we’re cops, able to arrest and all that good stuff, but we can’t. I make sure we don’t carry any deadly weapons. But enough to do the job.”</p><p>They talked for a bit longer until the food showed up. About their time in the military, their friends, more about work. Even over dinner they talked about vacation plans and places they’d visited outside of the military. It was nice, comfortable, friendly. If nothing else, Roy knew he’d made a new friend tonight. And when the bill came, Riza didn’t protest, she let him pay. Not once did they look at their phones, even though is had buzzed in his pocket twice near the end.</p><p>“This was nice. It was nice getting to know you, Riza.” He said as they left the restaurant.</p><p>“It was. If you ever want to do this again, bring your boyfriend along, I can tell him what a gentleman you are and make him feel guilty.”</p><p>“You know, I might do that…”</p><p>“What? You want to say more?”</p><p>“I’ve never been stood up before. I feel like I should be more mad than I am. Maybe it was the good company.”</p><p>Riza smiled then, a knowing smile, and patted his shoulder. “Roy, I think you know why you’re not mad. Here, let me give you my number. My friends are down the block and I can practically feel them staring from here.”</p><p>“Of course.” He chuckled and pulled out his phone. Both messages were from Ed. One was an apology and the other saying he was on his way to Roy’s. At this hour? It made him smile and he unlocked his phone. “Alright, what is it?”</p><p>They swapped numbers, Roy walked her to her friends, thanked them for giving her up for dinner, then went on his way.</p><p>Yeah, there would be a future date night with Riza and Ed, that would be a good payback for what had happened.</p>
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